back-to-school juice box

In honor of the students beginning to trickle back into town, I was thinking about how much more enjoyable (and productive?) my work days would be if I occasionally popped one of these mar-GO-ritas into my daily lunch bag.

Made by Cordina, the pre-mixed, ready-to-go pouches of joy are touted as "great for tubing, boating, or relaxing at the beach or pool." (What? Nothing about kicking-back at the office? An over-sight, I'm sure).

And while these grownup indulgences resemble the offspring of a late night rendezvous between a water bottle and a Capri Sun, these no-mix, no-blend, no-brainer cocktails pack a wallop, too. Says Sal, “What we use is 100% Blue Agave, where you get tequila, but instead of distilling we ferment the juice. That classifies us as a wine product. With each margarita, you’re getting the potency of two beers, or 8% alcohol!” Yee. Haw.Bonus points: If you just can’t finish your second, or more likely in my case sixth, Mar-GO-Rita, they’re resealable.

Here are the cuties behind mar-GO-ritas (per Best of Texas):

survival straps

I'm always looking for ways to support U.S. soldiers who have served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan; so I was happy to come across Survival Straps. Made from paracords, they come as key rings, survival bracelets, dog collars, watch straps, and more.

I bought a key fob and love, love, love it. It's super durable (my ginormous set of keys resembles those carried by a janitor); is personalized, based on my two-color preference (I went with Texas Aggie maroon for both of my options); and best yet: Proceeds from sales go towards the Wounded Warrior Project.

We are extremely passionate in our support for our Men and Women in uniform. We realize that we are able to lay our heads down on our pillows safely at night because of the work that they do. We must honor those who serve our country and protect our freedom. They come from all walks of life and from every part of our country. We really hope that our customers use our gear as a vehicle to show support for the members of our armed services, and to help spread the word about the needs they have. Just as they have stood tall for our country, we must always stand by and support the Men and Women in uniform and their families.

Many of these brave Men and Women now need all of our help. That is why we decided to get involved with the Wounded Warrior Project. The struggles that our seriously wounded soldiers face when they get back home from Iraq and Afghanistan are enormous. We hope to do a small part in raising awareness for our Men and Women who have sacrificed so much for us. The Wounded Warrior Project is an incredible organization, with an impeccable reputation, that is doing some amazing work to help our soldiers who need it the most. They have an excellent website that does a great job explaining what the need is, and what they are doing about it. Please visit them at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

Survival Straps can be made from two of 31 colors, so the combinations are endless. My key holder arrived in about a week:

I think they're great. And you never know when you'll need 6' of paracord :).

tick. tick. tick. tick.

I'm ready for the weekend.

And a glass of delight.

Cheers.

tgif.

macabre martha

It's beginning to look a lot like fall. OK, well, not really. But since I received a Halloween email this morning, that's all the go-ahead I need to pretend like that's the case.

Martha. She makes life so much prettier. And she happens to have her own line of Halloween goodies over at Grandin Road.

They also have a bunch of darling non-Martha Halloween stuff (in their Halloween Haven). Definitely worth a gander.

So much fun ... start planning!

they're here

Oh, yeah. Texas Aggie football season tickets.

Bring on the fall.

august means . . .

. . . a few of my favorite things are right around the corner.

These . . .

and this . . .

. . . and this . . .

. . . and this . . .

. . . and this.

I like you, August, but only because you usher-in September, October, and November. No offense.